Inktober 2018 Day 1
1. Discovery – Something amazing happens to Stan Baker.
AU: ???
Trigger Warning: Mentions of bullying and physical/emotional violence
Stan was in a heavy mood when he returned home.
His dragging footsteps were heavy, his bedroom door banged heavily as it shut, his backpack dropping to the floor and the way Stan tossed himself into bed were both almost as heavy as his heart.
At thirteen years old, he’d long since gotten used to bullies. He could hardly recall a time in his educational career that he hadn’t been picked on for one reason or another. He was small for his age, slim as a twig, and his pale complexion and bright hair made him stick out all the more among his peers. It barely mattered that his brothers were teaching him how to defend himself; any muscle he gained from training and fighting seemed too lean to make a visible difference.
Stan heaved a long sigh and buried his face in his pillow, hugging it close.
By the time he’d flipped a few of his bullies and seemed to deter them from coming after him, they all shifted gears. With hormones raging high and everyone hyperfocused on popularity and who liked who, Stan was physically picked on less and instead became the subject of harsh words and rumors that knocked him down the social hierarchy.
The harsh words stung and stuck with Stan and hurt worse than any bruise. They hurt because some of them were true. They swirled around Stan’s head long after he heard them, and they made him feel so small.
Microscopic.
A strange sensation made Stan peel his shining cheek away from his pillow. If he didn’t know better, he’d think it was getting bigger.
Stan bolted upright and realized the blanket was expanding beneath him. His heart jumped into his throat and began pounding, and Stan could swear it all started to go faster. He could feel the fabric passing past his hands and even gave himself a quick pinch in the arm amidst his slight panic. It was impossible to deny.
He really was getting smaller and smaller!
He gave a yelp when it all came to a sudden stop, the vertigo knocking him flat on his back. His arms flailed as he righted himself, green eyes wide as he looked around. The ceiling was so far away now, and all at once the room that had so often been his sole safe space became an alien landscape, made up of massive structures and bizarre shapes.
Stan had no idea how long he sat there, awestruck. Before terror and confusion could override, he had to admit that seeing things from a few inches tall was pretty cool.
Asks and Prompts are open! | Submissions too! | Main Story
Tag: g/t writing
November 3rd excerpt:
“Hey, Dean, why don’t you show Nate your place?” Stan suggested, lowering the hand holding Dean next to the little box set up for him. He hoped that giving him something to do would be better than leaving him on the same counter while he rummaged through the cabinets for a minute or two.
Dean’s eyebrows rose, and he looked between the two humans. “Uh, right!” he said, raising his voice to be heard over the crackle of the onions cooking.
November 2nd excerpt:
Stan stiffened from head to toe the second Dean set foot on his hand, struck by the no-longer-familiar sensation. He was just so tiny, most of Stan’s fingers outsized Dean and that was far from a comfort. Though Stan could only remember bits and pieces of the last borrower he’d ever held, he remembered them being so much bigger in his hands.
He wasn’t a child anymore. He’d grown up, and his hands were no exception.
November 1st excerpt:
“Why don’t you two hang out for a bit?” Nate suggested to the both of them, gently moving his hand away from his chest. He was careful to shift slowly so Dean wasn’t leaning on or clinging to his shirt; it wouldn’t do to have the little fella fall off his hand. “I’ve got dinner to start, shouldn’t take too long but I’ll need both hands.”
Despite blinking confusedly at Nathan, Stan’s hands rose to meet his as Nate held Dean out to him, and they stayed there awaiting the borrower.
Dean of Nowhere
(Story 2 of the Brothers Asunder series)
Cowritten by @nightmares06 and @neonthewrite
A man without a home. A hunter without a family.
Dean Winchester comes from nothing and lives for no one, but dedicated his life to saving people in need. Now, an unexpected attack on two campers by one of their best friends draws Dean to Wellwood forest, towards an unexpected reunion.
Characters: Dean Winchester, Jacob Andris, Bobby Loran, Chase Lisong, Rischa Songbird,
Sam Winchester, Bowman Leafwing, Scar Wolfblind, Cerul Elanwyn, Vel, the demon
Archive of Our Own || Fanfiction || Deviantart
Artwork by @jennilah! ( @ask-tinycas )
October 30th excerpt:
Stan kept a steady hand on Juno to make sure she didn’t get too close to Dean. He could plainly see how nervous the little guy was, and he glanced between Dean and Nate, still trying to figure out what his fiance was trying to tell him. Nate gave a small nod toward the borrower in his hand, indicating that Stan should pay attention, so that’s where Stan’s focus went.
“Easy, girl,” Stan soothed. Juno was a little sluggish from her meal, but he couldn’t risk her getting overexcited around someone so small. The German Shepherd was curious and resisted his grip, lurching forward just enough so that her nose grazed Dean’s tiny hand before Nathan could draw back out of her reach.
Artwork by @wolfie180g!
October 29th excerpt:
Sam saw the look they shot him and could only put his hands up placatingly. “Oh, don’t mind me, feel free to carry on your conversation. Take your time.” The dry, flat humor in his voice was heavy, but he couldn’t say he minded, having two different people this size. Even with their numbers doubled and a discussion about weapons going on right in front of him, he couldn’t say he felt particularly threatened.
October 28th excerpt:
Grabbing onto Jacob’s hood, Dean hauled the kid to his feet. He might be weaker than Jacob as far as physical strength went, but right now he had fury and righteousness on his side.
All of this instantly caught Sam’s attention, naturally (how could anyone miss a tiny man stalking onto their table and shouting at the other tiny person?), and he stiffened, nearly going for his knife before seeing the look on the new guy’s face. The new man was older than Jacob easily, maybe even older than Sam, though his features were too small to completely make out, and he was completely focused on berating the kid.
The Lounge || As Light as an Oscar (4 of 4)
Teenager Dean dove out of the way when the leafy glider buzzed past him, and the other Dean followed suit as Sam caught the air again, flying so close to him they brushed against the spike of hair on his head. By the time they leveled out, a few feet lower in the air than when they’d started, both Deans were sitting up on the floor, looking dazed.
“Gotcha!” younger Sam called to his older brother from where he was strapped in.
Bowman had to pull to a stop to hover while he and Oscar both let out surprised laughs. Even Jacob had flinched back, though he had been spared from the Sam attack. There might be nothing more satisfying than the sight of actual giants flinching away from a divebomb.
If Oscar wasn’t already so nervous, Bowman would probably make an attempt at a second round for them. They had their eyes on the glider and would never see it coming.
As it was, he dove at a much friendlier pace. Even then, Oscar tensed up.
Bowman banked in a wide circle around the fallen Deans and smirked. “Look at that, Oscar,” he pointed out. “That’s why Sam’s a knight back home. He can take down even the biggest giants!”
Oscar was breathless from all the excitement, but there was still a sheepish grin on his face. He eyed up his own Dean to make sure he hadn’t gotten hurt when he fell over, and then chanced a short wave at him. “Sam’s s-so fast! I thought he was gonna fall!”
Bowman smirked at Dean, flitting away before the human could get any ideas, and caught up with the glider. “Sam uses dives like that all the time in the forest, too. Keeps the glider moving fast, since he can’t flap his wings like me.”
“And I gotta be fast to keep up with the fastest wings in Wellwood!” Sam called over to the others. He circled the table, giving both Deans a wide berth as he sought a landing spot.
“Do we have to land?” Sam asked from behind him, sounding disappointed.
Sam grinned. “Don’t worry, we’ll be sure to fly around again,” he reassured him. “I think Dean’s heart needs a few minutes to calm down after that last attack, though.”
The teenager Dean gave them a flat look as he picked himself off the ground, but he couldn’t hide a smile at how excited Sam was for the flight. “What’d ya think?” he asked as Sam dipped the glider’s wings right as they passed him.
“This is great! ” Sam laughed, loosening his grip around Sam’s neck. “I want to go again!”
“Maybe later,” the older Dean grumbled from the floor. His younger counterpart offered him a hand.
While the Deans collected themselves, Bowman snickered and flitted alongside the glider. This might not be the forest, but he still had to help Sam find a safe landing in case the wind changed. “What’d you think, Oscar?” he asked as they slowly angled around to pull in for a landing.
Oscar was shivering, but more from sheer adrenaline than terror. “I-I didn’t fall,” he announced happily. “It’s kinda fun but maybe I’ll watch next time…”
Bowman ruffled the kid’s hair as they swooped in to land. “You did good helping me keep an eye on them,” he pointed out. Then, his boots hit the table and he stumbled forward with the extra weight before coming to a stop.
Jacob, still sitting at the table thanks to Sam not diving at him, leaned down to offer a smile. “Have fun?” Bowman certainly seemed proud.
Oscar fidgeted as the sprite untied him. “Yeah,” he admitted. As soon as his feet hit solid ground, though, he wobbled and stumbled away from Bowman. The dizziness from swooping and flitting to and fro with Bowman hit him all at once, and Oscar finally plopped down to sit right where he was.
Sam’s landing was smooth, and he quickly unbelted himself. His younger self waited with eager impatience, unable to keep still after all the excitement of flying.
When he was free at last, he ran over to Dean. “Didja see us?” he asked, bouncing on his heels. “We went allll the way around the room!”
“You bet I did,” Dean said, unable to resist Sam’s excitement. He reached around, lightly wrapping a finger around Oscar to keep him on his feet.
Spritely Sam watched them fondly, a bit of sadness in his eyes to see a version of his older brother acting so supportive of him.
“You’ll find him,” came a voice from behind.
Sam looked to see his other self, dressed in the drab colors that would blend into the room, standing there and smiling. “Dean’s out there, I know it,” the original Sam reassured him. “He always finds his way home.”
“You’re acting like I’m some lost puppy,” Dean griped to the side, also keeping an eye on the kids to make sure they were fine after their flight.
Spritely Sam had to smile. “Ain’t you?”
On the screen above the bar, the words The Study of the Four rippled into existence.
The Lounge || As Light as an Oscar (3 of 4)
“Make–what?!” Oscar’s voice pitched upwards into a yelp as Bowman leapt into the air in one spring, his wings powering downward to propel him away. It took some extra flaps from his wings to really get going with the small extra weight, but just like they’d said, Oscar was light. Barely a hindrance at all to a skilled set of wings like Bowman’s.
He climbed in height to meet the others as the glider dipped down, and soon was focused on the goal. Bowman darted past the teenaged Dean to meet the glider in midair and grab the bar across the top. Any boost he could give it could mean the difference between Sam staying airborne and being forced to glide back to the ground.
As the glider and sprite rose up into the air, the door of the Lounge opened, admitting Dean and his tiny brothers back into the room. They didn’t make it out of the threshold before spotting the strange sight, all three sets of eyes drawn up into the air.
Oscar clung as tightly as he could and shuddered. A part of him marveled that, on the other side of the leaves just below him, Sam was suspended in the air.
Having fun. He’d even wanted Oscar to join him on this daring stunt.
“M-maybe a little fun,” he admitted. Even so, his voice was louder and higher pitched than he’d meant, and it turned into a squeak even as Bowman let go of the glider and swooped to the side to fly alongside the others.
“What do you think?” Bowman asked, directing the question to both Oscar and the younger Sam.
The former hid his face behind his hands, but answered anyway. “Real high up! Feels weird!”
“It’s awesome! ” Sam yelled, trying to be heard over the wind. His arms were tight around spritely Sam’s neck, at this point the older man’s hand on his arm merely preventing him from tightening his grip too far and keeping him from breathing.
“The air in here is pretty good!” Sam called over to Bowman, using his one remaining hand to bank the glider around. “I thought it would be as flat as at night, but this is like being in the village on a good day!”
The one creating the small updrafts that kept the little glider in the air and helped the sprite show off his prowess watched, forgotten in his corner at the bar as he slowly wiped a glass clean. He watched the out-of-place pair with some amusement, finding them very entertaining.
Bowman agreed, and didn’t dare question it. There was a lot about the place that he’d call strange (the closed in walls and corners near the top of that list). He welcomed a bit of familiar as well.
“Oscar, let’s see if we can find an updraft for them,” Bowman encouraged, curling an arm around the young boy tied to him. He got the kid’s attention and saw a question in those wide eyes. A question, and a little fear, but no outright refusal. “I feel out the air to find Sam the best path so his glider doesn’t lose too much air,” he explained. “Come on!”
With that, he pulled ahead of the glider in a familiar motion, one that he and Sam had practiced time and time again. Bowman couldn’t meander as much as he usually did without risking Oscar, but his wings felt out the air nonetheless.
He grinned when he felt it up ahead, and was pleased to notice that they’d caught some attention since their flight began. While everyone watched, Bowman banked slightly to the side, and then soared upwards in an updraft, guiding the other two behind him right into it. He kept his arm curled around his passenger for extra safety, especially when Oscar was brave enough to try to see behind them to watch the others.
Both Sams were grinning madly, matching expressions on their faces as the glider soared around the room, banking gently to overlook the tables. On one, Sam could swear that there was a smaller version of Dean standing and watching them. At another, a different Dean was curiously rifling through a deck of cards to see if they were marked in any way while a third Dean continued to watch from the doorway, not to mention the fourth and fifth close by to their starting point.
“Let’s have some fun!” Sam called over his shoulder to the kid.
The arms around him tightened, and he heard Sam’s voice in his ear. “Whatcha gonna do?” the kid asked, but there was no nerves in his voice, just excitement.
“Watch,” Sam said, letting the glider take itself back to where they’d started. Bowman followed without being prompted, but held back to see what Sam had planned.
He knew it was something.
Both Deans, young and old, were watching the flight of the Wellwood pair and the children. Though there was slight concern in the older Dean’s face, he didn’t seem overly worried they’d get in any trouble.
“Now!” Sam said when they were overhead, dipping the glider forward.
Brothers Apart 